Seems the state of Tennessee will soon require ID for all alcoholic beverage purchases. Wow. Isn’t it already illegal to sell to underage people?

Via Robb, how much fat it takes to stop a bullet.

Ricky hangs it up.

Own guns, you’re a psycho.

Tennis anyone?

The press, that is. Seems a law firm is requesting information through the Freedom of Information Act on Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Gun group. So, there must be an evil gun lobby conspiracy lead by those extremists at the NRA. Oh, wait. No evidence the NRA is involved? Well, let’s run with it any way.

And even if the NRA is involved, who cares? Transparency and all that, right?

So, I got this Windows Movie Maker. It only saves files as .wma, which sucks. Any way to change that? If not, any other good (preferably downloadable) video editing software that you recommend?

This time, in Ohio.

Update: Meanwhile, some journalists ponder the ethics of such a decision:

I’m trying to think of a scenario where I would approve such a list being published. I’ll get back to you if one comes to mind.

and

I could only see doing it if there were a controversy over who was receiving gun permits. For instance, only political favorites. Similarly, we might run a list of people receiving bowhunting licenses, or dock permits or chiropractic licenses or whatever. But I don’t see a reason for running the list gratuitiously without a news peg.

Over at the Brady Blog, Paul Helmke notes a particularly nasty comment he received:

Paul you are a Hypocrite and a Liar, Why don’t you face facts. The Brady Bunch is little more than a Mouth Piece for the ACLU, and the Ultra liberal Wing of the Democratic Party. That the Brady Bunch is a thinly veiled “Hate group” that advocates the methods of the brown shirts, of Nazi Germany in 1933.

This is a prime example of how not to win. When you pull a Godwin, any point you may have made or wanted to make is lost by the utter stupidity of your statement. I’ve referenced this type of rhetoric before (see here and here). You’re not helping. So knock it off. But, Mr. Helmke, here’s the deal: Your side is guilty of abandoning reasoned discourse. For example, when you reference the NRA as the extremist gun lobby, you are being patently dishonest. There has been no federal gun law passed in this country that the NRA did not allow. The NRA supports the pending NICS improvement bill. The NRA supports background checks. The NRA supports registration of NFA weapons. The NRA allowed the ban on weapons that look like assault weapons to pass because it wanted the instant check system more. The NRA is not extremist. I, however, am. And referring to those who engage in lawful commerce as rogue is quite disingenuous as well.

Now, while I do not advocate calling them Nazis, liar is spot on. If we’re going to have reasoned discourse, great. But lying is also not acceptable in reasoned discourse, Mr. Helmke. You know, like the time your organization lied about an Al Qaeda training manual mentioning lax US gun control. Or the time you lied and said the NRA was pushing handgun carry at colleges. Or when you’re lying when you make reference to cop killer bullets, assault weapons, blood in the street, gun show loophole. Or the time you lied about Jim Zumbo and Ceasefire Maryland’s bogus study. Or the time you lied about trace data and endorsed law-breaking. Or lied about how the assault weapons ban banned AK-47s. Or lied about how you don’t want to ban guns but want merely want reasonable restrictions. Or how you lied about how more guns increase crime. Or the time you lied about Florida’s castle doctrine bill. And the time you lied about police officers supporting gun control by adding their name to a letter without their permission. Note: I could go on but that’s just the first three pages of my archives.

It’s either lying or the most prolonged case of willful ignorance I’ve ever seen.

Any way, you guys stop lying and maybe then we can talk about reasoned discourse. And I promise not to call you a Nazi.

Update: Haha: At Least We Don’t Have to Pay Our Bozos

Update 2: Seems the commentators over there are having trouble locating the particular comment that Helmke is referring to. Could be that it doesn’t exist but the more likely explanation is that they cull their comments.

At gunbloggers.com, a gun round up.

Alleged civil rights leaders not so fond of civil rights:

Two of the city’s best-known activists wound up in police custody Saturday after a protest against gun violence outside a suburban gun store.

Revs. Jesse Jackson and Michael Pfleger, a South Side priest, were arrested about 1:30 p.m. for trespassing outside Chuck’s Gun Shop in south suburban Riverdale, authorities said.

You’ll recall that Michael Pfleger was the one who said we should kill gun shop owners and is very likely violating the laws pertaining to the tax status of his church. And Jesse Jackson is supposedly a civil rights leader, which is odd because he agrees that blacks should be disarmed and disarming blacks was the reason for the earliest gun control laws in this country.

Joe says It’s a start: I think they should be charged with 18 USC 241

Update: Don’t tell Jesse about these guys.

People often say to me Hey, Uncle, what’s your problem with a lot of these gun laws people are trying to pass these days? And I say Well, anymore, all these laws do are target the law-abiding, who are, despite the claims of some, not inclined to go shooting people. So, they’re rather pointless. To illustrate:

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has approved a new law that will penalize gun owners if they fail to report lost or stolen firearms to police within 72 hours. …

Under the new law, a first-time failure to report a lost or stolen gun within 72 hours of discovering it is missing is an infraction, punishable by a fine up to $90. Any subsequent, unintentional failure to report a lost or stolen gun is a felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to $5,000.

If gun owners intentionally fail to report lost or stolen guns, they could be sent to prison for up to 10 years.

Wow. Punishing lawful gun owners. That’s real smart. What if Joe Gun Owner is out of town and someone breaks in?

Punishing the otherwise law-abiding is easy. After all, they don’t shoot back. And going after people who do shoot back is hard.

Now that’s funny.

Two mounted together.

Seems the property management company that fired the guy who had a gun when he saved someone’s life is feeling the sting and is going on the attack. Says bitter:

This is a low, low attack. Releasing financial information is a BIG FREAKIN’ NO-NO. Just like credit card companies don’t go around posting the names of people they denied and banks don’t run ads noting everyone who has ever had a check bounce, these are things that a well run business simply does not do. Deal with it privately, don’t trash someone’s name and financial status in the press.

David notes:

you couldn’t buy this much bad publicity. I just ran a Google on the manager’s name, and it turned up 27,000 hits.

Mingle² – Online Dating

In other news, gun is a dirty word? Well, fuckity, fuck, fuck.

Via Ninth Stage.

Update: The difference a day makes:

Mingle² – Online Dating

Kimber Pro Carry.

Barry is in a band. Rich caught the band on video here and here. Barry has pipes, who knew?

David notes that Hollis Wayne Fincher was sentenced to six and a half years. Finscher was in possession of machine guns and a short barreled rifle without paying taxes on them. He fought the case on second amendment grounds and lost. See prior posts here.

Update: In comments, Wesley clarifies:

I would probably have said, He tried to fight the case on second amendment grounds but wasn’t allowed to and lost.

Ayup.

So, I’m not happy about Knoxville’s red light cameras for a couple of reasons. Sure, people will say if you don’t break the law, then you have nothing to fear. But, if that’s the case, why stop there? Put them in my house, I might be breaking the law now. So, I got to thinking (dangerous, I know) about how to get rid of these things. I don’t mean like they do in England where they throw a gasoline soaked tire around them and set them on fire. I mean, a way to get the city to realize the error of their ways without the violence and destruction. About the only thing I can come up with is simply not patronizing the businesses around intersections where the cameras are. Now, I just need to convince 400,000 Knoxvillians to do the same.

They snagged me or the Mrs. this past week. $50 for running a red light we didn’t know we ran. I looked it over and, unlike other cases, it actually was our vehicle. I read the bottom and it basically said something to the effect of:

Under penalty of perjury, I have reviewed . . .

And the officer signed it affirming a violation had occurred. I guess that explains their quick response to Tam since, through carelessness, said officer had perjured him or her self in that case.

In an update to ColtCCO getting slammed for lawfully carrying a gun, Insty notes:

it suggests a serious training deficit with the Knoxville Police, as well as an attitude problem on the part of the officer in question.

Well, the tone at the top from Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is anti-gun. Why wouldn’t the cops be?

If I understand this correctly, the ATF asserts that:

1 – Owing a semi-automatic firearm and having access to a machine shop constitutes possession of a readily convertible machine gun. By that rationale, of course, just access to a machine shop does as well. So, machinists, I suppose, cannot own firearms.

2 – If you have one weapon that is a short barreled rifle and one that isn’t but can accept the after market accessories designed for the short barreled rifle, then the ATF shows up and takes the short barreled rifle but not the other one, your possession of said after market accessories constitutes unlawful possession of a short barreled rifle.

It’s like they make it up as they go along.

Further, the guy involved is actually a special occupational taxpayer. And he was merely a person of interest in a murder. Seems two guns he at one point owned were later used in a murder. And the ATF traced the weapons to him, which is odd since the anti-gunners say cops don’t have access to trace data.

Ex-marine kills bear with a log.

Warning shots are almost always illegal.

Insty links to a pretty neat book called Backyard Ballistics. It looks like hours of fun. The Amazon page says:

Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, and More Dynamite Devices

Now, the ATF got a wild hair once to regulate model rockets. Thankfully, they were put in their place. They have also issued opinions on potato guns and flaming tennis balls that may qualify the items as destructive devices depending on which particular projectile they are loaded with. Additionally, a few states regulate such items. So, careful out there. You don’t want to get your kids a book that may get them a visit from the authorities.

ETA: And I’m not saying said activities aren’t fun, educational and entertaining. I am saying that activities I engaged in as a youth now can lead to an interest by the powers that be. And that’s just sad.

Unreal:

In a year when Senator Kyle says taxpayers should demand lower property taxes AND in a year that Blount County will receive almost $1 million more in State funds, Blount County Commissioners are going to require Blount County taxpayers to take EVEN More money from their family budgets.

I wonder what blogging Blount County Commissioner Wendy will say. She did vote No and hats off to her.

So, the pope issued ten commandments for drivers. Allow me to suggest my own:

Pay attention. I know you’re busy and all but your focus should be on driving, not returning calls.

The left lane is for passing. Not for teaching me a lesson. So, get out of the way. The only lesson you’re teaching me is that you’re an asshole.

At a four way stop, the shittiest car does not actually have the right of way.

Yield is not a suggestion. Conversely, it also doesn’t mean give up.

If you’re doing 20MPH in a 45MPH on a rural road just taking in the scenery, remember that some of us (namely the 15 people behind you who want to pummel you to death) may have places to be or may have spent a long day at the office and want to get home. So, at first opportunity, pull over and let us pass since you’re obviously not in a hurry.

Be courteous. But not stupid. If traffic is backed up, I’ll let people trying to get on the road out. However, I probably won’t let all 20 of them out.

If you’re going to be making, say, a right turn in the next little bit, maybe you should go ahead and get in the right hand lane. As opposed to what you usually do, which is wait until the last minute, cut three people off, and almost cause a traffic fatality through your own stupidity.

Signal your intentions when appropriate. But not 1.25 miles ahead of time.

When you see emergency vehicles, get out of their way. They might be going to your house.

Keep it together. Some idiot out there is not enough reason to jeopardize your life. And it’s generally not a good idea to act out of anger when you’re in a several thousand pound, metal box on wheels that’s going fast.

Riding my rear is a pointless exercise if I’m trapped behind someone else and have no where to go.

If you ride a motorcycle, it’s probably not smart to hug the center line so you can pass. All it takes is one guy not paying attention to change lanes and you’re road paste.

When the light turns green, make sure it’s the road is clear and then go. Expeditiously. Don’t finish curling your hair, drink a cup of coffee, and fiddle with the radio. We only got so much time to get through.

If you see a sign that says merge left, go ahead and do that as soon as you can. As opposed to sticking it out in the right lane for as long as you can. See, 15 other idiots decided to do the same thing and when they run out of road and have to merge at the last second, that’s what causes most of the traffic congestion.

I’m not sure what kind of sadistic prick gets their jollies from the misfortune of others, but coming to an almost complete stop to check out the aftermath of a car accident is not only unsafe, it makes you a dickhead.

Learn the rules for pedestrians. They generally have right of way.

A Stop sign does not actually say Stop unless oncoming traffic is a bicyclist (note: I just bought a bike and take my kids for rides. Drivers really are dangerous when you’re on a bike).

Do not pass people, pull over in front of them and then make a turn. Seriously, who are you people?

M1 Carbines from CMP.

Violent crime is on the rise. Readers here knew that. And we knew why:

. . . release of large numbers of prisoners were in part responsible for the rising crime.

But The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership blames those evil guns.